The objective of this study was to estimate (co)variances and genetic parameters and to predict genetic trends for weight at 120 (W120), 210 (W210), 365 (W365), and 450 (W450) days of age in Nelore cattle raised in the northern region of Brazil. The database comprised records of 30,387 animals born between 2000 and 2013 in the Brazilian North. Estimates were calculated by the Restricted  Maximum Likelihood (REML) method, in single- and multi-trait analyses in an animal model. Heritability as obtained using single- and multi-trait models for W120 (0.22 and 0.31), W210 (0.20 and 0.34), W365 (0.51 and 0.51), and W450 (0.49 and 0.51) indicated moderate to high magnitudes, with the possibility of genetic selection and incorporation into the herd. Genetic correlations between growth traits were favorable, ranging from 0.78 to 0.96. Genetic trends for W120 and W210 varied largely, from -0.31 to 4.68 and -0.53 to 7.62 kg/year, respectively. Smaller fluctuations were observed in genetic trends for W365 and W450, which ranged from -1.08 to 10.90 and -1.29 to 12.51 kg/year, respectively. Selection for W365 and W450 proved to be the criterion of choice for Nelore herds raised in the region; however, it may compromise adult performance because of higher costs and time for production. A thorough analysis of mattings is recommended to allow the selection of earlier-developing animals.

The productivity and well-being of animals can be substantially affected by stress. This is particularly true in the case of beef calves that are subjected to a multitude of stressors over a short period during the first year of life. Perhaps the most often studied stress-responsive variable has been blood corticosteroid concentrations. Factors such as age, gender, genetics, and degree of prior experience, can influence how an animal perceives and responds to a given stressor. Few studies have tried to control these variables, and accordingly, many conflicting results have been published regarding the impact of various stressors on cortisol response. We measured baseline plasma cortisol concentration over a 44-day study in Bos indicus and Bos taurus calves. Plasma cortisol values in Bos indicus calves were higher (32.60 +/- 0.66 ng/ml) than values in calves of Bos taurus (25.81 +/- 0.76) breeding. A precipitous decrease in cortisol concentration was observed 7 days after transport stress in all calves. Baseline cortisol concentration did not provide any indication of the intensity of the various stressors. However, significant differences were readily observed after ACTH administration. On the basis of cortisol secretion, stresses of transport and weaning were similar and were the most stressful to calves, regardless of genotype.

Results of testing of 19,731 samples from a serologic survey of cattle with bluetongue virus (BTV) infections in Australia were analyzed for association between age, species, or sex and test result. Bivariate analysis indicated that all 3 host factors were associated with test result. After adjusting for confounding caused by the location of each animal in the study (high, moderate, and low BTV prevalence regions), cattle greater than or equal to 4 years old had an odds ratio of 4.33 (95% confidence interval, 3.99, 4.71) for a positive test result, compared with that for cattle < 2 years old. Cattle 2 to 4 years had an odds ratio of 2.28 (2.14, 2.54), compared with cattle < 2 years old. Bos taurus cattle had an odds ratio of 1.76 (1.63, 2.05) of a positive test result, compared with crossbred cattle, and B indicus cattle had an odds ratio of 1.20 (1.09, 1.33), compared with crossbred cattle. Sexually intact (+) male cattle were found to have an odds ratio of 3.13 (2.66, 3.49) for a positive test result, compared with castrated male (-) cattle, and female cattle were found to have an odds ratio of 1.38 (1.29, 1.48), compared with male (-) cattle. Multivariate analysis of BTV testing results was performed, using stepwise logistic regression. The most parsimonious model selected included age, species, and sex factors, and first-order interaction terms between these factors. This model was only able to be fit to data from cattle restricted to the high (> 25%) BTV prevalence region. Odds ratios were found to increase with age for male (-) cattle of all species. Odds ratios were found to be greatest at 2 to 4 years of age for female cattle of all species and for B taurus and crossbred male (+) cattle.

Concanavalin A (conA) blast proliferation as a quantitative measure of lymphoblast proliferative capacity by blood mononuclear cell supernatants was measured in cattle naturally infected with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and in healthy control cattle. Blast cell proliferation was significantly reduced in infected animals, compared with control cattle when blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with conA. Proliferation was significantly greater than media control when M bovis purified protein derivative and johnin were used to stimulate cells from the infected group. After sensitizing control and affected cattle with M paratuberculosis bacterin (live M bovis and keyhole limpet hemocyanin in Freund's incomplete adjuvant), infected animals had no difference in blast cell proliferative capacity with the mycobacterial antigens and cona stimulation, whereas healthy animals had significantly increased blast proliferation in response to all the sensitizing antigens. The blast cell proliferative capacity in infected animals with keyhole limpet hemocyanin stimulation was increased significantly after sensitization; however, it remained significantly less than that in the sensitized control group. These data indicate that cattle naturally infected with M paratuberculosis probably produce suboptimal interleukin-2 (IL-2) activity in response to a potent IL-2 inducer (conA) and fail to optimize IL-2 activity when sensitized with a potent immunogen (keyhole limpet hemocyanin).

<p>Biopsies of skin injuries caused by larvae, nymphs, unengorged and engorged females of Boophilus microplus were collected from five Bos taurus and five Bos indicus steers, which had been bom on the same ranch, aged about 23 months and had been grazing together in the same pasture during the preceding 90 days. Their susceptibilities to the tick had been previously estimated, being the taurine animals around fifteen times as susceptible as the zebuine ones. The biopsies were made in such a manner that the mouth pieces were in the center of the skin fragments. These were immersed for 24 hours in 10% formalin, then processed through usual histopathological techniques and stained either by the haematoxilin-eosin or by Masson’s “trichromic” procedures. No morphological differences were found capable of explaining the higher tick susceptibility observed for the taurine hosts as compared to the zebuine’s. Biopsies from non parasitized skin from the groin region of five B. taurus and five B. indicus steers were fixed in 1% lead subacetate, plus 50% ethanol, plus 1% acetic acid, for 24 hours, which they were histologically processed and stained in 0.1 % toluidin blue. The mast cells were comparatively counted in 80 microscope fields per sample with 100 diameters of magnification and the counts averaged more than twice as high in the zebuine than in the taurine host’s skins. These results strongly suggest that mast cells participate as important elements in the bovine host’s resistance to the cattle tick.</p> | Biópsias de pele lesada por larvas, ninfas e fêmeas engurgitadas de Boophilus microplus foram colhidas de cinco Bos taurus da raça Holandesa e de cinco Bos indicus da raça Gir, adquiridos na mesma propriedade, com aproximadamente 23 meses de idade, e colocados em convivência no mesmo pasto durante 90 dias que precederam este ensaio. O grau de susceptibilidade ao ácaro foi estimado previamente, sendo os zebuínos cerca de 15 vezes mais resistentes que os taurinos. As biópsias foram colhidas de modo que o parasito ficasse localizado no centro do fragmento de pele. Essas peças foram fixadas em formalina a 10% durante 24 h e processadas pelos métodos usuais em histologia seguindo-se a coloração pela técnica da Hematoxilin-Eosin ou do “tricrômico” de Masson. Não foram constatadas diferenças morfológicas que pudessem ser relacionadas aos diferentes graus de resistência ao parasito entre os taurinos e zebuinos. Biópsias foram colhidas de zonas não lesadas, na região da virilha dos cinco taurinos e dos cinco zebuínos, fixadas em subacetato de chumbo a 1% em solução de etanol 50%, contendo 1% de ácido acético, por 24 h. A seguir os fragmentos foram processados pelas técnicas usuais em histologia e corados pelo método do azul de toluidina 0,1%. Os mastócitos foram contados comparativamente em 80 campos microscópicos, em aumento de 100 vezes. Os resultados mostram que os zebuínos tem mais que o dobro do número de mastócitos dérmicos quando comparado com o encontrado nos taurinos. Esses resultados sugerem que os mastócitos dérmicos possam, pelo menos em parte, participar dos mecanismos de resistência dos bovinos ao Boophilus microplus.